The ICON programme, now in its third iteration, was first launched in 2009. To date, the three ICON programmes have cumulatively generated RM440,000 in revenue. MDeC CEO Badlisham Ghazali shares his view on why the ICON programme is successful, despite the low revenue figure.

We should start capturing data from the various hackathons organised so that we can spot trends and key information that arises from these gatherings of mainly technically literate young people, suggests Karamjit Singh.

MDeC has set its sights on enterprise app market opportunities, announcing that the latest iteration of its app developer programme will focus on such apps and that it would also be conducting a baseline study of the market in Malaysia.

No surprise here -- a first-time father who just happens to be a mobile techie is the brains behind InstaB, an iPhone app that provides a one-click solution for parents to customise their baby photos or videos.

MDeC's third iteration of its ICON (Integrated Content Development) program to foster the development of local mobile app content will focus on Microsoft Corp’s new Windows Phone 8 platform, in partnership with Nokia.

If you need further proof that even very smart people can do stupid things, look no further than the Budget 2013 proposal allocating RM300 million (US$98 million) for a RM200 (US$65) rebate for youths aged 21 to 30 to go towards the purchase of a 3G smartphone, writes DNA founder Karamjit Singh.

The 2nd Integrated Content Development Program (ICON2) gave funding of between RM50,000 and RM200,000 to successful applicants and saw 69 apps introduced to the iTunes and Android App Store. More than that, it has encouraged Malaysian app developers to be more bold in their thinking and grand in their ambitions when creating apps.